Sun, 25 Aug 1996 05:21:56 -0500 (CDT) -- Chicago Contrary to their public statements that they would use a hands-off approach in dealing with activists during the Democratic national Convention, Chicago police have stepped up surveillance on Active Resistance, a convention of more than 600 activists meeting here this week. Active Resistance is a national gathering of activists, primarily anarchists, who have come to Chicago to develop viable alternatives to mainstream institutions. They are doing so by holding hundreds of seminars, sessions, and Do-It-Yourself "Free Skools" from August 21st through August 31st, on subjects such as community living, decentralized media, participatory economics and other issues. Though Active Resistance participants are politically active, Active Resistance itself is not planning any demonstrations during the DNC. Chicago police have been following AR participants in unmarked cars, demanding to see the group's lease for its meeting place, and intimidating individual participants. On Thursday afternoon, for example, three plainclothes police accosted two Active Resistance participants, pressing them against a car and saying, "White boys go home." The officers described their pretense for searching the AR participants as "not looking like they belonged in this neighborhood." Plain clothes surveillance has inceased markedly over the last two days. AR participants accept further "attention" as the DNC begins.
This news alert issued by CounterMedia, a coalition of political
organizations, media groups and individuals dedicated to providing
alternative coverage of the Democratic National Convention and community
struggle in Chicago.
CounterMedia
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312-670-9673 EMail: xmediax@ripco.com
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CounterMedia web page
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